Plating-machine.



' L. SCHULTE.

PLATING MACHINE.

APPucATloN FILED Anas. |915.

Patented June 6, 1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEroE.

I .oUIs sonoma, or omesso', ILLINOIS.

lemme-incarna provision of means to simplify the insertion and withdrawal -of the goods or work from 'devices such as this where' a rotatable barrel is used.

' My invention contemplates the provision of means by virtue of which the work may be withdrawn from the barrel'without removing it from its containing tank and by virtue of which in its preferred form the work may be withdrawn without reversing the direction of rotation of the barrel.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a structure of use more par-- `ticularly with large amount o drum may be employed without interfering with the goods to be plated, the structure being such that the drum itself n eed not be perforated, thus materially reduclng the cost of construction. It is readily apparent that if a suiicient amount of anode surface be provided within the drum that the perforations need not be present as no anodes need be employed exteriorly of the drum. Furthermore my improved structure permits plating barrels wherein a me to 'charge the drum with any and all kinds of articles however small without removing the drum from the solution and without disconnecting the plating current. My improved structure further permits me tohave two-thirds of the drum submerged in the solution as -I do not require a central shaft and bearings for its support.

My invention further contemplates as one of `its importantr features the provision ofI a structure wherein the anodes are adjust-- ably mounted upon devices above the axis -of the drum, this adjustment making it possible to have a uniform distribution of current from'the anodes toward the articles which are to be plated.

I will explain one form which my invenr l Speci'cation of Letters Patent. 'Application med August 9, 1915. sei-mim. 44,65%.

anode surface within the Patented June 6, 17916.

tion may take morelin detail byv referring to the accompanlying drawing illustrating the same, in whic Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view'ofmy improved machine; Fig. 2 Vis a top view thereof, and Fig.Y 3 is a perspective View vof the removable lid. Y Y

My improved device comprises a plating l' tank l having the suitable side walls 2, 2, and end walls 3, 3. This tank is adapted to be filled with solution practically to lts top. One of the side walls 2 is surmounted by a cover plate 4 which carries brackets'y 5, 5, upon which rollers 6, -6 are rotatably mounted. The cap plate is held in place by means of the nuts or bolts 7 andhas a cut-away portion at 8, the purposeof which will p resently appear.v The other side wallhas a surmounting cap plate 9 which has arms 10, l0 similar to the arms 5, 5, which also support rollers'll, 11. The cap plate 9 in addition has a rectangular framework 12 in which a rotatable shaft 13 is mounted carrying a pulley 14 which is supposed to be suitablydrlven by means of a belt or otherwise.

'The shaft 13 has rigidly fastened to it a gear wheel or pinion 15 carried by 4the arm 16 secured to the cap plate 9. An arm 17 is designed to suitably connect the pulley 14 w1th the shaft 13, thus to drive the pinion 15.' v

. A barrel 18 is adapted for operation within the tank,n which barrel has a circumferential wall 19 and the side walls 20. The Walls of this barrel, of course are rigidly fastened .together in any suitable manner.

.An annular flange 2l is fastened to one of theside walls 20 and is adapted to coperate with lthe rollers 6 to rotatably support the barrel on that side. A similar flange -22 is fastened to the opposite side Wall 20 of the barrel, but has on its exterior periphery Vteeth 23, thus to form a large gear Wheel which is adaptedl to mesh with the pinion 15.

'The interior periphery of the flange 22 of course coperates with the rollers 11 simil-arly as the flange 21' coperates with the rollers 6. Then when the pinion 15 is rotated it will be readily apparentthat the barrel 18 is rotated within 'the solution. A pawl or dog 24 alsocarried an arm 251 mounted upon'the capplate 9.4 may be used to hold the barrel j 1'8 in any desired position of rest provided of course the pinion 15 is then not rotating the drum. Centank, but is not in electrical engagement with the cap plates 4 or 9 as these are cutaway, for instance, as shown'at 8. Th1s f anode carrier has extending arms 26 upon which suitable anodes 27 may be movably placed. By having the anode carrier above the'axis of the barrel I am enabled to obtain a very large amount of anode surface, thus dispensing with anodes mounted exteriorly of the barrel and thus making it. unnecessary to perforate the barrel. One wire 28 of the external circuit may then be connected to the anode carrier 25 and the other lead in wire 29 may be, for instance, connected to the cap plate 4 so that the current extends from this cap plate to the roller into the flange 21 and from there by means of conducting extensions 30 into the interior of the barrel. 'lhe direction-of rotation of the tank is indicated by the arrow 31.

The circumferential wall 19 of the tank has its continuity broken at 32 which is ordinarily closed by means of the removable lid 33 shown in Flg. 3, and which'is mounted in place-and held in place by the clamp 34. Thus to charge the tank the removable 11d is taken out- 'of place and the articles charged into the tank, whereupon the lid is replaced in position and held there by the clamp 34. The barrel may then be rotated either to tumble the articles, plate them, or pickle them, or perform whatever actions thereon may be desired. y

The solution enters the barrel through the openings 26a. Now when it is desired to remove the articles from the barrel, the removable lid 33 is taken off and Vmy improved transportable unloader 35 is -Inounted inl place as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This transportable unloader similarly to the removable lid has prongs 36 to engage the inner surface of the circumferentialwall 19 of the barrel, and is atvits opposite extremity adapted to be held in place by the clamp 34. This transportable unloader is completely inclosed except at its mouth 37 as is readily apparent, but has perforations 38, 38 in two of its walls.. Now if the tank is rotated, for instance, in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, with the unloader in position, then the `articles in the course of this movement will fall into the unloader filling the same, but permitting the liquid to drain through the holes 38. The filled unloader may then be removed by unclamping the clamp 34, a handle 39 permitting transportation of this unloader. 4If the capacity of the unloader is not suflici'entto take in all of the articles with one filling, then this unloading operation may be carried on several times until all of the articles are discharged from the barrel. The articles can then be carried by means of this unloader to any desired point for further operation thereon as may be desired.

From what has been described it is thought the nature of my invention will be readily clear to those skilled in the art, and it will also be apparent that the specific illustration herein is not intended to limit my invention to the particular form shown as my invention is susceptible of many and various modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having however thus described one form which my invention may take, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the character described the combination with a rotatable barrel having an lopening' in the peripheral portion thereof, and a removable basket adapted for temporary attachment over said' opening to receive and hold articles discharged from Said barrel during the rotation thereof.

2. In a machine of the character described the combination with a rotatable barrel having-an opening in the peripheral portion thereof, and a removable basket havirg perforations in one or more sides thereof a apted for temporary attachment over said opening to receive and hold articles discharged from said barrel during the rotation thereof.

3. In a machine of the character described the combination with a rotatable barrel having an opening in the peripheral portion thereof, a removable basket having perforations in one or more sides thereof adapted for temporary attachment over said opening to receive and hold articles discharged from said barrel during the rotation thereof, and means for removably holding said basket in position.

4. In a machine of the character described the combination with a rotatable submerged within said tank, and means for rotatably carrying said barrel, said means including a pair of annular flanges upon the oppositesides of said barrel, and a pair of rollers associated with the interior periphery of each flange ixedly supported relative to said tank.

iat

6. In a machine of the character described the combination with a tank adapted to contain electrolyte, of a barrel partially submerged Within said tank, means for rotatably carrying said barrel, said means including a pair of annular flanges upon the opposite sides of said barrel, anda pairof rollers associated With the interior periphery of each flange fiXedly supported relative to said tank,one of said flanges having gear teeth on its exterior periphery, and a pinion meshing With said teeth for rotating said barrel.

7. In a machine of the character described the combination with a tank adapted to contain'electrolyte, of a rotatably mounted barrel partially submerged Within said tank,

means for rotating said barrel, one side of said barrel having a central opening therein, and an anode carrier projecting into said barrel above the axis of rotation of said barrel.

8. In a machine of the character described the combination with a tank adapted to contain electrolyte, of a rotatably mounted barrel partially submerged Within said tank, means for rotating said barrel, one side of said barrel having a central opening therein, an anode carrier projectingl into said barrel above the axis of rotation of said barrel, and anodes carried by said anode carrier.

9. In a machine of the character described the combination with a tank adapted to contain electrolyte, of a rotatably mounted barrel partially submerged Within said tank, means for rotating said barrel, one side of said barrel having a central opening therein, an anode carrier projecting into said barrel above theV axis of rotation of said barrel, arms projecting from said -anode carrier, and a plurality of anodes movably mounted upon each arm.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 15th day of July, A. D. 1915.

Louis soi-iUL'r-r...

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